Longitudinal Cutter with a Vertically Displaceable Blade and Counter-Roller

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a packaging machine which is used to produce several packagings and/or trough-shaped packaging elements from packaging film and which can be separated from each other by means of a longitudinal and transversal cutter. The longitudinal cutter consists of a blade ( 2 ) and a counter-roller ( 3 ) which are driven and which are vertically displaceable.

The present invention relates to a longitudinal cutter, whereas thelongitudinal cutter consists of a blade and a counter-roller. Further,the present invention relates to a packaging machine which is used toproduce several packagings and or through-shaped packaging elements froma packaging film and which can be separated from each other by means ofa longitudinal and a transversal cutter, whereas the longitudinal cutterconsists of a blade and a counter-roller.

These days, food is often provided in plastic packagings to increasetheir endurance. Normally, the packagings consist of a so calledthrough-shaped packaging element, which contains the food and which isclosed by a packaging film. Usually, the through-shaped packagingelements are drawn deep, whereas several through-shaped packagingelements can be parallel arranged regarding to the transfer direction ofthe film. These through-shaped packaging elements are either filled withthe packaging good, sealed with a cover film and separated or thethrough-shaped packaging elements are directly unfilled separated aftertheir production. The Separation of the finished packagings or of thethrough-shaped packaging elements is carried out by at least onelongitudinal and a transversal cutter, whereas the longitudinal cutteris responsible for the cut in the running direction of the film and thetransversal cutter is responsible for the cut transversal to the runningdirection of the film.

Today, packaging machines can be operate with a plurality of differenttools, in particular with deep drawing and sealing tools with differentdesigns of the through-shaped packaging elements and formats, i.e. thenumber and the structure of the through-shaped packaging elements, deepdrawn and/or sealed in a cycle. At a change of these tools, theparameters of the machine and the following tools respectively have toadjust correspondingly. Up to now, this was not possible with thelongitudinal cutters according to the related prior art.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide alongitudinal cutter not showing the disadvantages of the prior art.

The object is solved by a longitudinal cutter according to claim 1.Preferable embodiments of the longitudinal cutter according to thepresent invention are claimed in the depended claims 2 to 5.

For the person skilled in the art it was surprisingly and not expectedthat the longitudinal cutter of the invention can be used in a veryflexible manner. The longitudinal cutter according to the invention canbe easily and reasonably produced and operated. In a change of theformat, not more and additional longitudinal cutter respectively arevertically lowered or lifted, so that the rearrangement to new formatswith the longitudinal cutter according to the invention is very easy.The longitudinal cutter according to the invention cleaves films veryefficient.

According to the invention, the longitudinal cutter has a blade and acounter-roller which interacts with the blade. Between the blade and thecounter-roller the film is slit and/or pressed apart. According to theinvention, the blade as well as the counter-roller are preferablyrotative driven and respectively vertically displaceable. Verticallydisplaceable in terms of the invention means that the blade and thecounter-roller can be moved away from the sheet and can be moved to thesheet respectively. It is not necessary that the movement must be avertical movement but it has to show only a vertical component. Forexample, the blade and the counter-roller can be displaced respectivelyon a circular path or slap to up and down respectively and thereforedisplaced vertically also. Preferably, the blade is located above andthe counter-roller is located below the film for cutting. The personskilled in the art takes for granted that also a reverse arrangement ispossible. The blade and the corresponding counter-roller have not tovertical displaced synchronously. For example, it is thinkable that thecounter-roller is vertically displaced as the position of the blade isretained unchanged. However, preferably the blade as well as thecounter-roller is vertically displaced.

Preferably, the displacement of the blade and the counter-roller iscarried out by a driving element. However, every element known by askilled person for moving the blade and the counter-roller respectivelywhich has a vertical component is considered as a driving element. Forexample, this can be an electric powered, a hydraulic or an electrolinear cylinder. Further, the driving can also results from an electricmotor with a corresponding gearbox.

Another subject-matter of the present invention is a packaging machinefor producing through-shaped packaging elements or packagings from apackaging film, whereas with one longitudinal and one transversal cutterthe packaging can be separated from each other with a cover film afterfilling and sealing or the through-shaped packaging elements can beseparated before filling, and the packaging machine has at least onelongitudinal cutter according to the present invention.

For the person skilled in the art it was surprisingly and not expectedthat the packaging machine according to the invention is adjustable in avery flexible manner respectively to the produced packaging formats. Thepackaging machine of the invention can be easily and reasonably producedand operated. Thus, that the blade as well as the counter-roller aredriven the film webs for producing the through-shaped packaging elementsand/or the cover foil can be cut in nearly any composition andthickness.

Preferably, three or more through-shaped packaging elements as the casemay be packagings are parallel produced with the packaging machineaccording to the present invention, e.g. transversal to the runningdirection. Correspondingly, the packaging machine according to thepresent invention has at least two longitudinal cutters whose blades andcounter-rollers are drivable and vertically displaceable respectively.

In a preferred embodiment the blades and the counter-rollers of alongitudinal cutter are separate driveable and/or separate displaceable.The advantage of this embodiment of the packaging machine according tothe present invention is that the drivers and the respective verticalposition of the blade and of the counter-roller can be totally adjusted,so that at a change of the format the blades as well as thecorresponding counter-rollers can be individually separated in anengagement to each other or of each other.

In another embodiment of the packaging machine according to the presentinvention, the packaging machine has several blades and the blades andthe counter-roller are at least partially driveable together and/or atleast in part vertically displaceable together. The advantage of thisembodiment of the packaging machine according to the present inventionis that the blades as well as the counter-rollers can be moved in groupsto the cutting position and out of the cutting position respectively.

Preferably, the drive and/or the vertical displacement of the blade andof the counter-roller respectively are carried out automatically due tothe chosen design of the through-shaped packaging element and/or of theformat. Format according to the present invention means the number ofthe through-shaped packaging elements, which can be incorporate in aparallel manner in the respective packaging film and then according tothis must be cut apart with one or several longitudinal cutter(s).

The information about the format and the design of the packaging can becarried out by the user, for example via the display of the respectivepackaging machine connected with a computer that controls the packagingmachine. In another embodiment of the packaging machine according to thepresent invention the tools, for example the deep drawing tool forforming the through-shaped packaging elements are having a data medium,for example a transponder, where data about the design of thethrough-shaped packaging elements and the respective format can be savedor read out, which is readable by a receiver of the packaging machinewhich is connected to a computer that is responsible for carry out theautomatic setting of the longitudinal cutters. Depending on the designof the through-shaped packaging elements and/or on the driven format onthe packaging machine, the packaging machine engages specific blades andtheir counter-rollers or moves them out of the cutting plane.

With references to FIGS. 1 to 4, the invention will be illustratedbelow. These illustrations are merely by way of example and do not limitthe general idea of the invention. The illustrations apply for thelongitudinal cutter according to the invention and similar for thepackaging machine according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows the design station of a packaging machine.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the longitudinal cutter of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the longitudinal cutter according tothe invention, whereas the counter-rollers are vertically displacedtogether.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the longitudinal cutter of theinvention according to FIG. 3

In FIG. 1 shows a part, the deep drawing station, of the packagingmachine according to the invention. The film F1 is rolled up from a rollV1 and for example with a chain drive synchronized transported to thedeep drawing station T as shown with the arrow. There, the film is fixedand heated with heating elements 18, whereas the heating of the film canalso takes place before the deep drawing station. The deep drawing mould19 for the deep drawing of the through-shaped packaging elements islocated on a lifting device 20. As soon as the tool 19 is fixed on thelifting device, the data of a sensor chip which is located in the tool19 are queried by a send-receive device (not shown). Thereafter, thesedata are processed in a computer. This computer controls the automaticsetting of the longitudinal cutting device for example, so that thelongitudinal cutting device is adapted to the design of the producedthrough-shaped packaging elements and to the format. The packaging filmis rolled up in a synchronized manner and the through-shaped packagingelements are moulded in the packaging film. The tool 19 is formed thatseveral but at least two through-shaped packaging elements are producedin the paper plane in series. The through-shaped packaging elements aretransported out of the deep drawing station and then if necessary filledwith a packaging commodity and sealed with a covering film.Subsequently, the produced packagings are cut apart in running directionby the longitudinal cutter shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. The through-shapedpackaging elements are divided transversal to the running direction by atransversal cutter (not shown). Also, it is thinkable that thelongitudinal cutters according to the invention are used only in a socalled trayformer. In such an embodiment the through-shaped packagingelements 21 are not filled after the deep drawing station but separatedwith longitudinal cutters according to the invention and a transversalcutter, and can be filled and sealed in a so called traysealer forexample.

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal cutter according to the invention with ablade 2 and a counter-roller 3. The surface of the blade 2 pressesagainst the cylinder 3 and cleaves the film (not shown) which issynchronized transported between the blade 2 and the counter-roller 3,as shown with the arrow “LR”. The blade 2 and the counter-roller 3 arerespectively driven by a driving element 5 and respectively 6, in thepresent case toothed wheels which are connected to a motor (not shown).Therefore, the tooth of the toothed wheel 5 engaged in the tooth of thetoothed wheel 7 which is torque proof connected to the blade. The toothof the toothed wheel 6 engaged in the tooth of the toothed wheel 8 whichis torque proof connected to the counter-roller. With the pneumaticcylinder 4, 9, the counter-roller and the blade respectively can bevertically displaced, whereas the toothed wheel 8 on the toothed wheel 6and the toothed wheel 7 on the toothed wheel 5 are rolled up andtherefore the counter-roller 5 and the blade 2 respectively can be movedto the film web.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the longitudinal cutter according tothe invention. In the present case, the counter-rollers 3 are located ona common shaft 11 which can be driven, so that all of the longitudinalcutters are driven together. The person skilled in the art recognizesthat the counter-rollers 3 can be also rotatable supported on the axis11 and then have respectively or partly together a driving which is notshown. The counter-rollers 3 act together with the blades 2 which arerespectively driven and which are vertically displaceable as shown withthe double arrow 17. The shaft and respectively the axis 11 is lateralsupported by the supports 10. In these supports a connecting link 12, inthe present case a elongated hole, is located, which leads the shaft oraxis 11 during the horizontal movement. The horizontal movement of theshaft/axis 11 is caused by the cylinders 4. The person skilled in theart recognizes that the shaft/axis 11 movement has not to range betweenthe above and the below end point of the connecting link, but that inparticular the down movement has to be only effected as far as it isgiven by the deepness of the through-shaped packaging elements.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the longitudinal cutter according tothe invention which basically corresponds to the longitudinal cutteraccording to FIG. 3, whereas in the present case the shaft/axis 11movement is not lead by the connecting link, but the shaft 11 isconnected with a roll 14 which rolls up on a roll 13 that is connectedto a shaft 16. The movement of the roll 13 is shown by a double arrowlocated in the roll. A belt 15 is pulling the roll 14 against the roll13. The vertical displacement of the counter-roller is driven by thecylinders 4.

LIST OF THE REFERENCE NUMBERS

-   1 longitudinal cutter-   2 blade-   3 counter-roller-   4 pneumatic cylinder-   5 blade driver-   6 counter-roller driver-   7,8 tooth ring-   9 pneumatic cylinder-   10 support for shaft 11-   11 connecting link-   13, 14 roll-   15 belt-   16 shaft-   17 double arrow-   18 heating element-   19 deep draw mould-   20 lifting device-   21 through-shaped packaging elements

1-8. (canceled)
 9. A packaging machine for producing through-shapedpackaging elements or packagings from a packaging film, whereas with atleast one longitudinal- (1) and one transversal-cutter the packaging canbe separated from each other with a cover film after filling and sealingor the through-shaped packaging elements can be separated beforefilling, whereas the longitudinal cutter consists of a blade (2) and acounter-roller (3), characterized in that the blade (2) and thecounter-roller (3) are driven and vertically displaceable, whereas thedrive and/or vertical displacement of the blade (2)and of thecounter-roller (3) are automatically controllable due to the electeddesign of the through-shaped packaging element and of the format.
 10. Apackaging machine according to claim 9, characterized in that thevertical displacement of the blade and of the counter-rollerrespectively is carrier out by a driving element (4, 9).
 11. A packagingmachine according to claim 9, characterized in that packaging machinehas several longitudinal cutter on which respectively the blade (2) andthe counter-roller (3) are drivable and vertically displaceable.
 12. Apackaging machine according to claim 9, characterized in thatrespectively the blade (2) and the counter-roller (3) are separatelydrivable and/or vertically displaceable.
 13. A packaging machineaccording to claim 9, characterized in that the blade (2) and thecounter-roller (3) are at least partially drivable and/or at leastpartially vertically displaceable together.
 14. A packaging machineaccording to claim 9, characterized in that the information on a designof the packaging and/or a format is saved and readable on a dataprocessing medium, preferably on a transponder, in a deep drawing toolfor the manufacture of the through-shaped packaging elements.